MID OCEAN

MID OCEAN"S FAMOUS FIFTH

I traveled to Bermuda at the end of October right after the PGA Grand Slam. I had long wanted to see this course because of its C.B. Macdonald design heritage. The fifth hole makes just about every list of the eighteen best holes in the world. After strolling the course and playing a round, I was duly impressed.

(video after the jump)

For me, Macdonald courses are like coming home. His use of template holes create a continuity to his designs, but each course is distinct. Macdonald used templates as a jumping off point for his holes, letting the site and the terrain dictate the end result. Eighty years later his courses are still fun and playable, yet challenging. His greens are bold, but not in the artificial way found on modern courses.

I had the opportunity to interview Norman Furtado, the course’s long time superintendent, on the fourth green. In this first of three videos he discusses the courses design history and their recent switch to tifeagle bermuda, which resulted in some alterations to the putting surfaces. This work was conducted by Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf.